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We need to wake up, shake things up.
by Manu
Translation - urunobili
We are already installed on this city where tonight we’ll play the Pacers. Indianapolis and the Conseco Fielhouse always activate good memories from that second place obtained on 2002 with Argentina’s National Team. Except now, though we just come once a year, it doesn’t feel as strong as it did the first few times when I revived the chants of the team in the bus after each victory.
Ok the topic is really another one. The team is not on a good moment right now but it’s not something to hit the panic button. If we want to finish second in the west we shouldn’t lose anymore, but that is relative, we have been champions finishing the regular season in an even worse position.
What we do need right now is to wake up, like it said vulgarly, shake things up and take ownership of our responsibilities because we’re playing really bad. There are lots of little details to be corrected. We are not as dynamic as we have been at this same stage of the season years before. I think the team suffered lots of changes during this campaign and that complicated things.
I lost 32 games and I am searching for my best level now, Tim Duncan is having some issues on his knees and that kind of tendinitis lets him play great a couple of games but then the next three ones he feels limited. Tony Parker despite being only 26 years old and having a tremendous physical conditioning has been carrying the load all year because of our issues and is starting to feel tired mostly mentally. Roger Mason has to change his role each time I come back. Drew Gooden could give us a lot but it has been just some games since he joined us.
Let’s say we need to re-adjust lots of little things, establish a set rotation. The bigs have also changed their contributions but I think that has to be mostly due to the kind of rivals we play. Some play with a Center and 4 smalls, that’s why sometimes Matt Bonner doesn’t play a lot and the game makes more sense to be faced with either Ime Udoka or Kurt Thomas.
I repeat, we have to have all cylinders rolling because otherwise we’ll go out on vacations soon. We have 8 games left that have to be faced as finals. And the worst thing is that the west is very complicated. It’s a lottery. Two weeks ago we were 2nd by far and now Dallas that is 8th just have two less loses than we do. It’s also clear that playing like this we could finish 2nd or 8th and it doesn’t make any sense thinking of what rival is better for you to face in the playoffs. Whoever we play we just don’t want the Lakers in the first round and we would like to begin playing at home against the first rival. After that, if we have to face the Lakers, it doesn’t matter if it’s on the next round or in the WCF. We just have to beat them nothing else.
Regarding my conditioning and level of play, I am calm and content. I feel fast but still going through the re-adaptation period. I still have to jump higher, reach further levels, but on the fakes and lateral movements I have no problems. The first comeback was way tougher than this one, but the wait on this one was more difficult than the first one. February’s injury caught me at the very worst moment, just when I was getting into a rhythm. It was like a hammer in my shoulder. On top of that they told me it would be 3 weeks only to get back in the court and ended up being 5 or 6 weeks instead. It was a very tough situation for me psychologically wise. And don’t forget that this is the third time I had to begin from scratch this season. The first one was in June with the National team before going to the Olympics. It’s really tough and despite the fact that is already painful to miss games, its way worse to be on he sidelines, a torture. You feel that you can’t help your team and you feel useless because of that.
Now I have played for four games already and except on the first one that I got in rusty and overexcited, on the other ones I felt loose and strong getting my game back.
Lastly, and for the ones asking about Fabricio Oberto, that suffered a cardiac arrhythmia, let me tell you that now I see him much calmer. Before he was hesitating, but it’s been a couple of days since he has been OK, controlled and ready to play.
